Writing to Pope Francis, FAO’s Director-General has pointed to the need to safeguard the world’s water resources so that they can benefit every person in every country. “Access to clean water and sanitation is essential for life, and it is the basis for maintaining a healthy life and helping millions of people out of poverty […]
Going green doesn’t come naturally to wealthy villa owners in the Gulf. An online real estate company listed a seven bedroom villa in Dubai’s neighboring Emirate Abu Dhabi for $95,300 a year, which amounts to nearly $8,000 a month. Anyone who can afford to spend that much money on rent probably has little incentive to […]
Hey fantastic idea: instead of creating a city environment that is more welcoming and friendly for people to actually talk to each other, the City of Tel Aviv has decided to pilot phone “zombie” LED lights, those glaring headache-inducing, pineal gland disrupting lights that make you crave you were in a forest somewhere. Smart phone […]
What would Tutankhamun say? Remember when mummies starting floating up in sewage? This story is even better. Security officials at the Cairo International Airport foiled a plot to smuggle ancient mummified limbs out of the country in a couple of loudspeakers. On a plane to Belgium, the X-ray technicians noticed something fishy and looked deep […]
The mention of palm oil is enough to make a serious environmentalist wince in shame of what this oil harvesting has been doing to local ecosystems. In a bid to make the industry more sustainable the United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO) director José Graziano da Silva is calling on innovators, including hydroponics specialists, to […]
It may not be something that your average gamer ever considers, but video games consoles use an enormous amount of energy. With the future of the planet looking ever grimmer when it comes to excessive energy usage and climate change, it is important to consider how our gaming devices contribute to the planet’s dire state. […]
We’ve all heard about the Good Samaritan. What about the Wealthy Samaritan? And did you know that two small groups of native Samaritans still live in Israel protecting their customs as they did in biblical times? A 1,600 year old estate of a wealthy Samaritan covered in Central Israel at Zur Natan. The estate, discovered in […]
Peter Steel (April 1941 to Feb 22, 2019) aged 77 was one of the world’s foremost champions for Living or raw water. He died in his off-grid forest home this week. The solar-powered home is located deep inside a forest in Powassan, Nipissing –– an area of Canada remote enough to be very uncomfortable to most […]
My first experience in an economy budget hostel in Tel Aviv was less than savory. A crowded, stinking dorm room for what was something like $20 a night, 20 years ago. A German woman manager who announced reduced rent over a loudspeaker late at night and early in the morning if you wanted to help […]
In some Middle Eastern cities, the governments embrace dog walking, dog loving and dog everything. It seems like there are more dog parks than people parks in some areas of Tel Aviv, but if you live in Iran, watch out. Taking your dog out for a spin might land you in jail. The country’s totalitarian […]
Not all witches get the opportunity of going to Hogwart School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to polish their skills. Take my dad for example – a water witch from Newmarket, Canada. Maybe it is because he never made it past grade 8 or because he was never confident enough in his witching powers. Known as a […]
News that Saudi Arabia wouldn’t like to hear: Renewable energy is the most competitive form of power generation in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, according to a new report published today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Abundant resources, together with strong enabling frameworks have led to solar PV prices of below 3 cents […]
Tent City a few years ago had connotations of anxiety and despair (see Occupy Tel Aviv), now the City of Tel Aviv is embracing the idea of tents as they gets ready to host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. AirBNB has already taken over the city, but still hotel prices are too high and the city […]
About a hundred years ago, large swamps of areas in the Middle East were teaming with malaria –– including Israel. The British of course enjoyed their gin and tonic, with ingredients in the tonic staving off the disease caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes. Malaria is not a great disease to get and its […]
A landmark law was just passed in Israel this year. The Israeli Parliament, known as the Knesset just passed a new law on January 1, that allows both public and non-profit organizations to file a civil suit against any person or organization that damages the environment in general. The law was put into effect after […]
Although the main commercial fish species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea are still over-fished, pressure has reduced over the past years, raising hopes – for the first time – for the recovery of fish stocks, according to new FAO-GFCM report launched today. The percentage of overexploited fish stocks decreased by 10 percent – from 88 percent […]
Seeing both forests and trees is about to get easier, thanks to a new open-access tool developed by US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with support from the Google Earth Engine Team and the US Government’s SilvaCarbon Program – allowing anyone to track land-use and landscape […]
For any business to remain afloat, a lot of things need to be in check before embarking on this journey. Looking into our customers’ needs should be given priority if the business is willing to remain relevant in the marketplace. You need technicians who work around the clock. Those who are just a call away. […]
The environment of your home is essential. It appeals to almost all of our stresses. The design influences how we perceive the room. The smells can create a state of relaxation and draw people into a particular room. The environment isn’t limited to the inside of your house but includes the exterior as well. How […]
You can’t go anywhere in Israel and in many parts of the Middle East without enjoying a fresh herbal tea. Yeah, none of the dried out flakes of herbs planted years ago for the Mediterraneans. Just grab a few branches of herbs, wind them in a circle and pour on the hot water. Add a […]
The small but mighty country of Kuwait wants to wake and shake you up. Join a a new community building festival this November that will bring people together from different backgrounds to think creatively about social issues in Kuwait. The two day event will use interactive talks, stories, learning, music, theatre, art, food and more […]
Jews in Israel will live for a week in a sukkah, starting next week. It’s a time to get back to nature, and one’s roots. We’ve had a marathon of Israeli holidays the past while. There was Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and next week the holiday Sukkoth. For the Jewish nation in Israel and around the […]
Mentalist Uri Geller is building a museum in the world’s most ancient port city, Jaffa. When they start digging, an ancient olive soap factory is unearthed. The impressive masbena – or soap-manufacturing factory – dates back to the nineteenth century was discovered along with several large underground chambers. “Our work on the museum required, among […]
If you’ve ever switched from one personal care product brand to another, you know just how differently your body can react to a new product. From body lotions to makeup, sometimes making a product swap can be a big deal. One of the products that you probably swap often is deodorant. With all of the […]
كشف تحليل مختبري لعينات المياه والثلوج التي تم جمعها خلال رحلة غرينبيس الأخيرة إلى أنتاركتيكا، وجود اللدائن البلاستيكية الدقيقة والمواد الكيميائية في غالبية العينات التي تم اختبارها. وتعليقاً على ذلك، قالت فريدا بنغتسون من حملة حماية القطب الجنوبي في منظمة غرينبيس: “قد نعتقد ان القارة القطبية الجنوبية منطقة نائية ونظيفة، الا ان التلوث والتغير المناخي […]
